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Kristine
Opolais
Soprano
Kristine Opolais
Kristine Opolais is one of the most sought-after sopranos on the international scene, with an established reputation amongst the world's pre-eminent singing actresses. Opolais has appeared at The Metropolitan Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, Staatsoper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala, Opernhaus Zürich, and the Royal Opera House. She regularly collaborates with renowned conductors including Daniel Barenboim, Fabio Luisi, Andris Nelsons, Sir Antonio Pappano, Kirill Petrenko and Sir Simon Rattle.
In the 2026/27 season, Opolais makes her debut at the Eufonie Festival, Poland in an evening of operatic arias under the baton of Rafał Kłoczko. Further debuts include at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the largest cultural venue in Mexico where she appears in recital alongside pianist Abdiel Vázquez. The duo will perform works by Catalani, Cilea, Dvořák, Giordano, Massenet, Puccini, Ponchielli and Verdi, the evening is presented by the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico and the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL).
Opolais opens the new year returning to The Boston Symphony Orchestra with Andris Nelsons for a concert performance as 'Lisa' in Tchaikovsky's "The Queen of Spades". This follows her success last season, where she joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons for the title role in Puccini's "Tosca", performed in concert at the Tanglewood Festival, a role she also sang with Boian Videnoff and the Mannheimer Philharmoniker later that season. She brought her critically acclaimed portrayal of 'Katerina Ismailova' in Shostakovich's "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk" to the Enescu Festival, with the Romanian Radio National Orchestra under Giancarlo Guerrero. Opolais also sang Strauss' transcendent Four Last Songs with Würth Philharmoniker and Claudio Vandelli.
Kristine Opolais has been celebrated for her distinctive performances at The Metropolitan Opera, including her appearances in "La bohème", "Madama Butterfly", and new productions of "Manon Lescaut" and "Rusalka", which received international broadcasts as part of the Met's Live in HD cinema series. In 2018, Opolais returned to the Met to sing "Suor Angelica", a role she previously recorded on the Orfeo label. Famously, in 2014, she made history at the Met with two role debuts in 18 hours. She gave an outstanding performance in the title role of "Madama Butterfly", only to step in the following day for a matinée of "La bohème", which was broadcast into theatres worldwide.
Opolais' appearances at the Royal Opera House, include the title roles in "Tosca", "Manon Lescaut", and "Madama Butterfly". She has a significant relationship with the Bayerische Staatsoper, which began in 2010 when she made her debut as Rusalka in Martin Kušej's new production. Her additional roles in Munich include "Manon Lescaut", "Madama Butterfly", 'Tatjana' in "Eugene Onegin", 'Margherita' in "Mefistofele", and 'Vitellia' in "La clemenza di Tito".
Opolais has made solo concert and recital appearances at the Salzburg Festival, BBC Proms, Tanglewood Festival, the Musikverein Wien, Baden-Baden Festspielhaus, Royal Opera House Muscat, Royal Concertgebouw, and Carnegie Hall. She has appeared with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Concertgebouworkest, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Filarmonica della Scala and the NHK Symphony Orchestra. Opolais' discography includes a DVD of "Tosca" in Baden-Baden with the Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.
SEASON 2026 / 2027
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Latest Recordings
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SHOSTAKOVICH - Symphonies, Concertos, Lady Macbeth
03.2025Deutsche Grammophon
News
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18.09.2024Gala evening with soprano Kristine Opolais, conductor Kerem Hasan and the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra
Press
"[...] it was Kristine Opolais’s Katerina who was at the heart of the whole show; the Latvian soprano expressed her role with outstanding emotional spirit and endurance, characterising the role of the lover of her charming yet unfaithful lover Sergei... Kristine Opolais’s Katerina… evinced every nuance of the challenging characterisation in a quite astonishing and vocally dramatic performance, with every gradation of emotional feeling expressed."
Gregor Tassie, Seen and Heard International, 19 September 2025
"She makes reading her emotions so easy, it’s perfectly clear and seems like they are flowing through her. She’s a natural. Her interpretation is incredible. - Madame Butterfly (great Kristine Opolais) leaves us speechless."
Broadway World, Natalia Jardynska, 20.06.2022
"Deutsche Grammophone, Shostakovich Symphonies Nos 1. 14 and 15 with Boston Symphony Orchestra, Kristine Opolais, cond Andris Nelsons - The soloists in the 14th – a death-obsessed song-symphony dedicated to Britten – are outstanding"
The Times, Richard Fairman, 20.06.2021
"The vocal and dramatic emotion and beauty of the last act could hardly be surpassed. This was of course also due to Kristine Opolais' contribution. Her Manon is full of life, full of inner conflict and develops from the naïve young girl, the Des Drieux, who also loves luxury, to a mature dying woman and realises too late what really matters. Her singing is full of passion but also tenderness, her timbre is unique. She combines liveliness with a certain seriousness and maturity."
Das Opernmagazin, 22.03.2019
Calendar
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13.11.2026Teatr Wielki w ŁodziLearn more
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29.01.2027Symphony HallBostonLearn more
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31.01.2027Symphony HallBostonLearn more









